She Wouldn’t Exist if Not for Her Friend’s Family
Each installment of “The Friendship Files” features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship. This is the 100th and final installment of the series.
This week she talks with two women who were brought together by an extraordinary act of courage: During World War II, Clémentine Lestang’s great-grandfather, a member of the French resistance, rescued Meredith Moseley’s grandfather, a U.S. Army pilot, after he made an emergency landing in German-occupied France. The French family hid the American from the Nazis in plain sight until he could escape. The two families have been close ever since, and Clémentine and Meredith have forged a special bond of their own. In this interview they discuss how their families’ history shaped their lives, and their friendship.
The Friends:
Clémentine Lestang, 31, a watchmaker who lives in Les Rousses, France
Meredith Moseley, 43, a teacher who lives in Sunnyvale, California
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Clémentine’s answers have been translated from French.
Julie Beck: Tell me the story of your grandfathers.
It’s my grandfather, her great-grandfather. The story begins on July 4, 1944, when my grandpa was a pilot in the United
